My journey with Webflow began a little over 4 years ago. I was building sites on WordPress, thinking, “This is the way.”
Only... I didn't enjoy it. Sure, building the site was fun with Elementor, but WordPress required so much maintenance with the frequent updates, plugin instability, and ever-present threat of security issues. Once I finished building a site for a client, I dreaded handing it off. Oftentimes, I provided monthly maintenance for my clients. I didn't enjoy it — it felt wrong, like handing them a toy that was on the precipice of breaking and it was the antithesis of providing an empathetic experience. It wasn't a matter of if it gave them trouble, but when. You can read my blog post about the headaches of WordPress and why I don't recommend it to my coaching clients here.
After losing my wedding website turned travel/family blog, I had enough. I set out on a journey to find the right website platform for myself and one that I was confident my clients would feel comfortable using. I checked out the whole gamut: Showit, Squarespace, Wix, and Webflow.
Some of these web platforms were intriguing and offered the design freedom I craved. But ultimately my goal was to provide my clients a tool they wouldn't have to maintain the tech side and when they wanted to update their content, add to their blog, or create a new sales page, it would be an enjoyable experience for them. This is an extension of applying empathy throughout the brand experience/interaction that I create for my clients. You can read more about that blog post here.
After giving each of these platforms a real try, the answer was obvious.
The Winner is Definitely Webflow
*Please note: This blog post includes an affiliate link to Webflow. This means, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. However, I don't recommend anything that I don't personally use myself!
Dynamic Content
I'll be the first to admit this is absolutely industry jargon and it likely means nothing to you without explanation.
If you have a WordPress, Wix, Showit, or Squarespace site, your blog is considered dynamic content, meaning it's not static. You can change it, update it, add to it. But with those website platforms, that's typically the extent of what you can consider changeable (dynamic).
Not with Webflow. The world is your oyster! Depending on the goals of your business, you can have as many dynamic elements as you need, making your company website a true extension of your business
For example: One of my recent clients was The Cat's Meow Veterinary Hospital, a cat-only veterinarian. Naturally, they had unique needs specific to their practice.
- With Webflow I was able to provide them a way to create a dynamic top announcement bar.
This has become extremely handy during Covid-19 to provide their clients information about how their services morphed due to the pandemic. - Reviews are a super important part of their business. They needed a way to add in their own reviews. They use a proprietary software specific to vet practices as a client relationship manager. This helps them to schedule their appointments, invoice clients, and collect reviews. This software could've been integrated with Webflow but at a high-cost from their software side.
Instead, I was able to create a unique and pleasing design for my client's reviews to be displayed in while providing a simple way to upload their review spreadsheet and automatically populate the design. It literally takes seconds! - Their practice has grown and continues to add new team members to their roster. My client wanted to keep the job descriptions visible on their website but have the capability of turning off the application once that position is filled. With Webflow, they're able to make these updates by simply clicking a switch.
- In addition to their monthly blog, they also provide state-of-the-art health info for cat owners. This information is updated as they expand their services or new strides are made in cat health. Through Webflow, I was able to set this up for them to be as easy to update as their blog.
What this means for my clients:
- They're able to tap into the true power of their website to streamline their business and create systems that result in efficiencies.
Ease of Integration
Succinctly put, if it can be embedded, it can be integrated with Webflow. That goes for anything from a website chat function, payment processing forms, opt-ins that tie into your email service provider... Seriously, the sky's the limit.
This doesn't just apply to embeddable apps. If you track your site analytics, Google Analytics integrates seamlessly by simply adding your Google Analytics ID. Your Facebook pixel can be added just as easily.
Going back to the example provided above, my cat-only veterinary clinic client (say that 3x's fast) needed their practice forms online. The stipulation was that they wanted to make it as simple to use as possible on their clients. (Many of their clients are older or technologically averse.)
With Webflow, I was able to create a smart way for their forms to display. Their customer would choose their form by selecting the option that best suits their situation and the corresponding form would display. For example, if they're a new client, they would fill out the new client/new patient form. But if they were an existing client with a new kitty, they would just fill out the new patient form.
What this means for my clients:
- With Webflow, your website can extend as far as you need it to. Your website doesn't have to only serve as a tool to convert visitors into clients, it can be a valuable tool to help provide immense value to your clients and your business.
Visual Site Editor
This right here was the coup de grâce for me. I aim to provide my clients an empathetic experience - and the Webflow Visual Site Editor is the epitome of an empathetic design experience.
All updates are done on this simple to use side of their website. Once logged in, adding blog posts, or any other bit of dynamic content is a piece of cake. Webflow designed their editor to be as un-intimidating as possible.
But what if you want to update text or images on your existing site? Webflow's Editor makes that child’s play. Just click on the text block you want to revise and start typing. Not feeling that image on your about page? No problem! Just click on the image and choose the one you'd like to replace it with
What this means for my clients:
- You don't have to call in favors to NASA to add a new blog post or update your content
Design Freedom
The first thing that enticed me to Webflow is the pure design freedom it allows. I can create truly custom designs for my clients in half the time it took on any of the other platforms I tested out. I'm able to take the creations from the mock-up phase of my design process and implement them with ease.
What this means for my clients:
- They're not getting a cookie-cutter website
- They're getting their unique-to-them website in a much shorter timeline.
As a seasoned designer, the Webflow Designer felt like I was working in Adobe Illustrator. This allowed me to iterate ri-donk-u-lous-ly fast. Now don't let that analogy intimidate you, especially if you're not a designer. The true glory of Webflow is that once I create a website for my clients and hand it over, 98% of the time, they never have to touch or interact with the designer side of things.
(At Infinity Brand Design, I provide detailed walkthroughs once the website is handed over. These how-to's show my clients how to make content updates in the Editor side of things which is beautifully simple, making those updates a breeze to make.)
Eye-Catching Interactions
What led me to web design all those years ago was the ability to take static information and turn it into an immersive experience. I was intrigued by essentially creating interactive works of art. Webflow sparked that fire in me again.
Errrmergerd, my friend! The interactions you can create with Webflow are so smooth. The beautiful part of this is that the animations I'm able to create in Webflow don't bog the website down.
What this means for my clients:
- I can create some fun interactivity with ease and not get penalized for a slower site speed.
No Code Required
I'm a designer, not a coder. Though when I first learned web design over 20 years ago, I had to learn HTML, CSS, and some JavaScript to bring my creations to life. But it was a huge headache for me to go against the grain of how I'm composed to code - I'm not naturally wired that way. I'm a right-brain dominant creative, though I am capable of switching gears to tap into the analytical side of things.
So when I discovered that I wasn't required to hop into the funky backend (like in WordPress) to make things happen for my clients and dabble in coding languages that aren't natural to me... the infatuation with Webflow grew into genuine love.
Bottom Line: Your Business Needs Webflow
I really could go on-and-on about the beauty of Webflow. It's a dream come true for my website projects. My clients find it very simple to use. And so do I. It allows my clients the autonomy they don't get with WordPress. They feel empowered and fully in control. And you know what? That's what I aim for. Happy clients, happy life.
